Portable building for election purposes



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. .H. VAN DORN. PORTABLE BUILDING FOR ELECTION PURPOSES.

No. 590,079. Patented Sept. 14,1897.

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J. H. VAN DORN. PORTABLE BUILDING FOR ELECTION PURPOSES.

No. 590,079. Patented Sept. 14,1897.

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(No Model.)

J. H. VANDORN. PORTABLE BUILDING FOR ELEGTION PURPOSES.

No; 590,079. Patented Sept. 14,1897.

NITED TATES JAMES II. VAN DORN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

PORTABLE BUILDING FOR ELECTION PURPOSE S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 590,079, dated September 14, 18197.

Application filed January 25, 1895. Serial No. 536,178. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. VAN Donn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Buildings for Election Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a'full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention .relates to a portable building suitable for an election-bootl1-that is to say, a portable building adapted for use at the place for registering the names of the electors and for preparing, casting, and counting the ballots.

Such booths are commonly set up 011 sidewalks near the curb for use for election purposes. When they have served their purposes at these points, they are transferred to a storage-yard, where they are kept until another election time comes around. It is obviously desirable that such booths be so constructed that they may be distended for use upon election day and then collapsed, so that they may be easily transported from place to place, and

so that when'collapsed they will occupy very little space upon the sidewalk or in the storage-yard. The election laws of the several States provide for several registration days and'one election day, wherefore it is evident that a smaller building will serve for use upon registration days than upon election day. In view of this fact it is desirable to have a booth which may be used upon the several registration days in its collapsedcondition, whereby it occupies the least possible space and thus obstructs the sidewalk to the least possible tion of parts hereinafter described,and p0inted out in the claims.

In the" drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the booth when extended and with the roofs of both sections thereof removed. 2 is a rear elevation of said booth when closed. Fig. 3isa horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectional view of the booth when extended. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the desk-section of the windowframes, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the slide for closing the side openings formed when the window sashes are swung out.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the outer section, and B the relatively movable inner section of the booth. The section A consists of a floor or platform a, and the front wall a, the two side walls a a the rearwall a which are secured to said plat form, and the roof a which is secured by or platform b, the rear wall I), the side walls b 19 and the front wall 19 and a roof 79 all constructed and connected substantially like the similar parts of the section A.

In. the

front wall 5 is formed a lar e 0 enin throu h b b D which the inner section may be entered.

On the floor of section A are secured the track-rails O O, and to the projecting rear endsof these rails the rails O O are pivoted on horizontal pivots. Vhen the booth is closed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thesehinged track-sections are swung up against the rear wall of the section B. In their upper ends are slots through which pass staples 'D, which are secured to the wallb. Pins d or padlocks may pass through said staples and thus prevent the hinged tracks from swinging down, whereby the section B is prevented from moving out of section A.

On each hinged rail, n'ear'its-outer, end a folding leg F is pivoted. This leg is curved longitudinally, whereby it partly encircles and lies close to the outer side rail when closed. Its upper end is forked, thereby forming two cars by which it is pivoted to the rail. Nhen it is desired to draw out the section B, the two rails O C are unfastened and swing down to the horizontal position. The legs l are swung out, as shown in Fig. 4-, and rest upon the ground. The rails O 0 ,now serve as tracks upon which the section B slides out, andthe track-rails C C support said section when it is drawn out.

Projecting beyond the sides at the front corners of the section B are the two vertical flanges b, which when the section B is drawn out engage against the innersides of the adjacent parts of the rear wall a of section A, thereby serving two purposesviz. they prevent the complete withdrawal of the section B and they make a more or less close joint with the wall a thereby preventing the admission of any considerable amount of air. Projecting beyond the sides of the rear wall at the corners are two other vertical flanges 6 b which engage with the outer sides of the adjacent parts of the wall a when the section B is pushed in, whereby these flanges also serve to prevent the admission of any considerable quantity of cold air into the air-space between the two sections A and B.

In the rear wall I) of section B are placed the windows E. Other windows E E are placed in the side walls b Vindows G are likewise placed in the front wall a of section A and in front of the opening in the front wall of section B. Between these windowsis placed adoor II. Other windows G G are placed in the end walls a a and a second door H is also placed in the wall a near its rear end. All of the windows are adapted to be closed by metallic shutters e and g.

It will be noticed that the section B is neither so wide nor so long as the section A, wherefore when the booth is closed there is between said sections on three sides an airspace, by reason of which it is much easier to keep the booth warm.

It is believed that section B is sufficiently large to accommodate the registration officers and the electors who appear for registration, and it will be not-iced that the sections are so constructed and combined that when the booth is closed the door H and the opening in the wall I) afford means for entering the section B. The windows E in the rear wall Z) of section B and the windows G in the front wall a, of section A will, it is believed, furnish sufficient light.

By reason of the described construction the booth may be used for registration, and upon all days except election day in its closed or collapsed condition, in which condition it occupies the smallest possible amount of space; but when election day arrives the section B is drawn out to its full throw, as described. When so drawn out, the door H may be used, and it is intended that it shall be used to admit the electors. By the side of the door is a table I, at which the clerks sit who deliver the ballot to the elector. He then passes into the section B, in which he prepares his ballot. In order to provide separate compartments, in which the electors may secrctly prepare said ballots, the partitions K, which are hinged to the walls between the windows, are swung out into position at right angles to said walls. The sashes of the windows E and E are hinged at their upper ends to the walls on horizontal pivots, so that they may swing outward. To these lower ends of the window-sashes are hinged the sections c, which when thewindows are closed hang down inside the booth; but when the windows are swung outward their free ends rest upon the lower edge of the window-opening and form a desk, upon which the ballots may be prepared. In order that the windows and desk-section. may be suitably held in this position, a flange c is turned down on the end of said desk-section, and a projection 6 which may be riveted to said section, is also provided. The flange lies just inside and the projection 6 just outside of the wall, thereby preventing the movement of said section outward or inward. The openings at the sides of the windows are closed by the triangular slides J, the lower edges of which slide in grooves c at the sides of the desksections 0'.

The elector having prepared his ballot passes into the section A to deposit it in the ballot-box M, which is placed near the judges desk N and near the exit-door H. The j udges desk is hinged to the wall a so that it may, when not in use, hang down out of the way, so that it does not interfere with the section B when the same is closed.

The stove R is placed against the wall a near the door II, and the pipe 0' passes along this wall to an opening therein. The stove is placed in line with the opening in the wall 6 whereby when the booth is closed said stove is, as a matter of fact, in the room, which can then be used for registration purposes, as described. The stove is preferably supported on a shelf which is secured to the wall a above the floor, so that it is not struck by the floor Z) of the inner section when said section is moved into the outer section.

It is preferred to construct the booth above described of sheet-iron,which may, if desired, be corrugated to give it greater strength; but any suitable material may be used.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a portable building, the combination of an outer section having an opening in its rear wall, with an inner section adapted to move through said opening into and out et the outer section, track-rails laid on the floor of the outer section, and having projecting ends, hinged track-rails pivoted on horizontal pivots to said projecting ends and adapted to be swung into vertical position against the rear wall of the inner section, and means for securing said hinged track-rails to said rear wall, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a portable building, the combination track-rails, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an election -booth, a window-sash hinged at its upper end to the booth, a desksection hinged to the lower edgeof the Windou sash, said desk-section having grooves in its upper side near its edges, and slides adapted to enter said grooves and close the side openings produced by swinging the Window-sash outward, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' JAMES H. VAN DORN.

Witnesses:

E. L. THURsToN, L. F. GRISWOLD. 

